Bullets And Blades Kill 1, Injure 7

December 01, 1986|By John Kass.

A woman was talking to her 17-year-old grandson, trying to arrange a ride home for him, when she heard someone scream out an oath and shoot him to death.

At about the same time, a birthday party for a 14-year-old boy was broken up by two gunmen who forced their way into the home and shot four people, including the boy, as they searched for drugs in the apartment.

Several minutes later, a street gang fight left three young people injured, one seriously.

The three incidents, all on the South Side, were unrelated. They took place within an hour--between 12:30 and 1:30 a.m. Sunday--and had detectives at the Pullman Area violent crimes unit scrambling.

``We`re extremely busy this morning,`` said Pullman Sgt. Richard O`Connell. ``It was just one of those nights.``

The killing of Angelo Johnson, of 7729 S. Sangamon St., took place at 12:30 a.m. at the 87th Street stop of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, police said.

Shortly after midnight, police said, Johnson called his grandmother, Elma Phillips, of the 7000 block of South Harper Avenue, and told her he had no money and needed a ride home. The grandmother called her daughter and asked her to pick up the youth where he was waiting, near the 87th Street stop of the South Shore line. Seconds later, Johnson called again, begging that the ride come quickly.

As he spoke to his grandmother the second time, police said, she heard another voice scream out on the telephone: ``I`m going to kill you! I`m going to kill you!`` Seconds later, she heard a blast from a shotgun. Johnson was struck once near the heart from close range. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

O`Connell said police did not find the weapon and had no suspects in the killing. He said they were unable to determine a motive.

At about the time Johnson was killed on the street, four other persons were shot when two armed robbers burst into an apartment at 7706 S. Aberdeen St., and broke up a birthday party for Darnell Pippins, 14, of Gary.

The gunmen earlier had apparently staked out the first floor apartment, belonging to the boy`s uncle, Ted Nicholson, 39, in a search for drugs and money, O`Connell said. They broke into the apartment, ordered the room full of 15 people to lie down and began screaming orders at them.

``They were screaming about drugs and they wanted money,`` O`Connell said. ``Somebody panicked and started to run. Then they started shooting.``

The gunmen ran off after the shooting without taking any valuables, police said.

Police later arrested two men from the neighborhood after witnesses offered detailed descriptions. The two men were being questioned, police said. An official at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park listed the four persons in fair condition. They were identified as Pippins, shot in the right thigh; Nicholson, shot in the left side; Edward Jordan, 18, of 323 W. 108th Pl., shot in the arm; and Lavance McNeal, 20, of 7746 S. Aberdeen St., wounded in the flank.

The gang fight occurred on the street at 212 W. 107th St. Police said the incident started when a man identified only as ``Ghoulie`` began arguing with two other men and a teenaged girl. Within seconds, the insults and oaths led to knives.

Darryl Carter, 18, of 243 W. 108th St., was stabbed five times in the chest. A friend, John Wilson, 17, of 11232 S. Egelston St., was stabbed in the shoulder. Tanya Mann, 16, of 11342 Edbrooke St., was hit in the head with a beer bottle. Carter was listed in serious but stable condition at Bernard Mitchell Hospitial. The others were treated and released.